Metal-extracting apparatus



(No Model.) 2 sheets-'sheen 1'. J. L. HORNIG. METAL EXTRACTING APPARATUS. A

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' J. L. HORNIG.

METAL EXTRAGTING APPARATUS.

Patented Mar. 3, 1885.

ATTEST:

UNITED STATES PATENT Carien.

J ULIUS L. HORNIG, OF JERSEY CITY, NE\V JERSEY.

METAL-EXTRACTING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 313,208, dated March 3, 1885.

Application filed May 14, `1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, JULIUs L. HORNIG, of Jersey City, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Metal-EX- tracting Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus forextracting the precious metals from ore by the lead-bath process, my object being generally to produce apparatus for this purpose which will combine efficiency and simplicity, will have controllable' means for heating the ore thoroughly before it reaches the molten lead and for excluding the air therefrom, will prevent the choking of the ore at any point, and will in a most complete manner scatter the ore through the molten lead and produce an intimate commingling of the same, the apparatus being complete and self-contained, and being capable of easy manufacture and transportation, and being set up and operated by persons of ordinary skill.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, Figure lis a vertical section of the apparatus; Fig. 2, a top View of the kettle; Fig. 3, a horizontal section of the revolving gate on dotted line 3 3 in Fig. l; Fig. 4, a horizontal section of the heating-flue and orefeeding cylinder on line 4 4t in Fig. l; Fig. 5, a top view of one of the discharging-arms, and Fig. 6 a diagrammatic view showing the curves of the several buckets of the apparatus.

Like letters denote corresponding parts in all the gures.

A is the kettle, having a tlanged upper edge resting upon a suitable support, B, above a furnace, C. The kettle is of annular form, having a central flue, D, directly through it. This iiueD supports a cylindrical stack, E, to which is added the eXtra stack a. (Shownin dotted lines.) The lower part of stack Eis surrounded by a tapering cylinder, F, which is supported from E by a number of vertical partitions, b. The larger end of cylinder F is turned downwardly,so that the space inclosed by it, through which the ore is fed, will increase gradually and regularly in the direction of feed; and the lower ends of the partitions b are turned or curved laterally to form guide-buckets for the ore, as shown in Figs. l, 4, and 6.

Upon F is mounted the conical feeding head or hopper G, which is surrounded by an annular heating chamber, c. The stack E is provided with a damper, d, and openings e f extend from the stack into and out of the chamber c, for heating the ore in the hopper, or the openings e f may be dispensed with and an extra flue, H, (shown in dotted lines,) be carried from the furnace to one side of chamber c and from the other side of charnber c to the extra stack a. Flue H Will have a damper, g. I prefer to use this arrangement with4 the extra iiue H, since by means of it and the dampers d g a more complete control of the heat is obtained.

From the head G hangs downwardly a hood, I, extending nearly to the kettle, but. leaving between it and the kettle a space sufprevents radiation of heat from the feeding cylinder, but adds to the heat thereof.

Upon the lower end of the feeding-cylinder, and projecting down into the kettle, is 'sup-i ported a revolving gate, K. This gate has a sprocket-wheel, l1, secured to its upper end,` and this sprocket-wheel is flanged and rides upon the lower hanged edge of'a ring, L, surrounding the cylinder F and vertically adjustable thereon. Suitable anti-frictionA rollers (not shown) are placed between the bearing. surfaces of wheel h and ring L, or other means may be used for reducing friction. The ring L is supported by bolts t', depending from a shoulder or lugs, j, on cylinder F, and these have nuts by which the ring can be adjusted vertically to change the ow of ore under the lower edge of the revolving gate, as will be4 presently'explained; or, instead of the bolts for supporting and adjusting the ring,such ring may be supported on one or more levers, M, (shown in dotted lines,) which will project through hood I, and will give a means for adjusting the revolving gate from the outside of the apparatus, to change the flow` while the apparatus is in operation, or to relieve the gate if it should become choked. I prefer this construction to the bolts. The kettle has an an- IOO ` nular shoulder, k,toward and away from which the revolving gate isadjusted, and between which and the lower edge of the gate the ore passes in a thin annular stream. rlhe revolving gate has inclined buckets l m on its side, the buckets Z being on its interior and buckets m on its exterior. Buckets Z have their elevated ends turned forward inthe direction of motion, catch the ore as it settles down through the feeding-cylinder, and force it down into the lead. Buckets fm are arranged in the reverse way, assisting the rising of the ore on the outside of revolving gateand scattering it outwardly through the lead. Opposed to buckets l are stationary buckets n, attached to or forming part of the sides of the inner part of the kettle above the sh oulder k. These stationary buckets are inclined downwardly in the direction of motion ofthe ore,and present their elevated points to the approaching ore, assisting the buckets l to force the ore downwardly beneath the surface of the lead and preventing a rotary movement of the lead mass. Below shoulder k the kettle is provided with vertical stationary buckets o, which have points rising above the lower edge of the revolving gate,on the outside thereof. These assist the buckets m in forcing the ore outwardly into thelead and prevent the lead mass from being given a rotary movement. The stationary buckets a o may form a part of the sides of the kettle, as shown at the right of Fig. 1; or such buckets may be made in one piece with a ring, p. (Shown at the left vof Fig. l.)

Attached to the revolving gate above buckets m, and sweeping the top of the kettle, are curved arms g, which discharge the refuse over the sides of the furnace.

The sprocket-wheel h is worked by an endless chain, N; but other means of applying the power may be used.

The diagram Fig. 6 shows the relative angles l of the several buckets or blades employed,

and from this figure will be understood the manner in which they co-operate to produce the result desired. The buckets Z and on move in the direction of the arrow, while b, a, and o are stationary.

The kettle is filled with lead up to the dotted line 5 5, in Fig. 1.

" The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing. The furnace keeps the lead in a molten condition,and also thoroughly heats the ore. The ore-pulp is put into the conical hopper G, surrounding the stack, and is there heated by the stack and by the chamber c. It passes downwardly in an annular body into the tapering feeding-cylinder F, being guided therein by the buckets b. Here the annular body of ore is heated both internally and externally, the air being expelled from it by the heat while in the hopper and in its passage from the hopper. In passing At the lower ends of the buckets b the ore-pulp is delivered to the revolving buckets Z, which force it, by the ,assistance of stationary buckets n, down into the lead to the lower edge of the gate, between which and the shoulder lc it escapes in an annular stream, the thickness of which can be regulated' by the adjustment of the gate. As the ore es capes circumferentially from beneath the gate it is thrown outwardly into a larger circumferential space by the buckets m, and is scattered through and thoroughly mixed with the lead. Any lumps that are formed in the orc-pulp are broken up in passing through the diierent buckets or blades. The metal is taken up by the lead, forming an alloy therewith, while the earthy matters or tailings rise to the surface of the lead, and are swept oii` by the arms q. W'hen the lead is charged to the proper point with metal, it is drawn oil' and a new charge of lead put in the kettle and brought up to the required heat, and the operation is continued as before.

My devices for commingling the ore-pulp and lead are based upon the theory that when the ore-pulp is highly heated before reaching the lead, and the proper high heat of the lead bath is maintained, and there is a complete subdivision of the ore-pulp in the lead and a thorough and intimate mixture of such ore'- pulp with the lead, the absorption of the metal by the lead is instantaneous, and hence it is not necessary to keep the ore-pulp submerged in the molten lead for any considerable length of time.

My apparatus is designed, as already explained, to give the ore-pulp a high heat, and to exclude the air therefrom in its passage to the bath, and to maintain a proper high heat of the bath in order to make effective the mixing devices, which are well adapted for producing a complete subdivision of the orepulp inthe lead and an intimate mixture of the same with the lead; but, if found desirable to keep the ore submerged for alonger time than IOO' IIO

will be done by the devices shown, any suitable deviees-such as retainingplates--cau be placed in the kettle for that purpose, this additional feature not interfering with or changing the operation of the apparatus shown.

What I claim is y l. In metal-extracting apparatus, the conibination of an annular kettle for containing the amalgamating-liquid, the same having a central flue, a cylinder or sleeve surrounding said flue and extending beneath the surface-line of the liquid in the kettle, forming an annular teeding-passage,and a heating-chamber external to said feeding-passage, substantially as set forth.

2. In metal-extracting apparatus, the combination, with the kettle having a straight central flue, of the tapering ore-feeding cylinder surrounding the saine, whereby the ore is fed toward the kettle in a gradually-spreading annular body, substantially as set forth.

6. In metal-extracting apparatus, the combination, with the kettle, of inclined blades or buckets revolving on an axis parallel to they height of the kettle, for conimingling the ore and extracting metal, substantially as set forth.

7. In metal-extracting apparatus, the combination, with a kettle, of aseries of blades or buckets for submerging the ore and a series of blades or buckets for assisting it to rise, substantially as set forth.

8. In metal-extracting apparatus, the conibination, with the kettle, of a revolving cylindrical gate carrying internal buckets for forcing the ore down through the lead, and external buckets acting on the ore as it rises from beneath the lower edge of said gate, substantially as set forth.

9. In metal-extracting apparatus, the combination, with a kettle, of a cylindrical gate vertically adjustable therein, and means for forcing the ore down through the lead and unf der such gate, substantially as set forth.

10. In metal-extracting apparatus, arevolving cylindrical'gate carrying internal and external buckets, in combination with stationary buckets and a feeding-passage enteringthe interior ofthe said gate, substantially as set forth.

l1. In metal-extracting apparatus, the combination, with the kettle and horizontally-revolving buckets in such kettle, of stationary buckets assisting the action of the revolving buckets on the ore and preventing the rotary movement of the extractingi metal, substantially as set forth.

12. In metal-extracting apparatus, the conibination, with the annular feeding-chamber, of the revolving gate,with buckets turning upon such feeding-chamber and supported therefrom, substantially as set forth.

13. In metal-extracting apparatus, the annular feeding-chamber having the vertical partitions with turned lower ends, substantially as set forth.

14. In metal-extracting apparatus, the con1- bination, with the annular feeding-chamber having vertical partitions with turned lower ends, of the series of blades or buckets for submerging the ore, substantially as set forth.

This specification signed and witnessed this 6th day of May, 1884.

JULIUS L. HORNIG.

Witnesses:

A. W. KIDDLE, E. C. RowLAND. 

